Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A person who had followed me on social media wrote me a note, calling menaïve and romantic in my position toward Gypsies. I kept no notes, sothis is from memory. They are all alike, the person stated, andproceeded to tell me what had happened to them in Italy. Namely, Gypsieshad entered a store, had separated this couple into different corners,took their wallets and left.

Facts:1. Anybody who grows up in a war is ever naïve; they would never live totell the tale.

2. Gypsies had entered the store. Were they wearing traditional cloths,hat, neck scarf and all? The only indication to me that these may haveGypsies is they left this couple alive.

3. This brings me to the cause of such behavior, should they indeed havebeen Gypsies. I grew up in part in Italy. In my days there were Roma,established Roma there, they bothered nobody to my knowledge. In thosedays, the fifties, poor, underprivileged Italians were doing thestealing, although they often did not leave their victims alive. Theproblem with Roma arose with a sudden influx of Yugoslav Gypsies, manyof whom had served as human shields during the brutal wars in thatcorner of the world. Now in Italy, they have no place to stay, no work,no protection and on and on. They have two options to survive: beg orsteal. Which would any of us chose? Growing up in the war, everybodystole. The German Catholic church had a word for it, "Mundraub" i.e.food theft, and declared it not a sin.

4. This person's knowledge of Gypsies, if that is indeed who they were,is basically that one run-in. She is now ready to condemn 12 million ofthem. I have known Gypsies/Roma all my life. I have encountered them inthe woods during the war, I have lived with them, have been close tothem. I have never felt threatened, nor been afraid they would steal mybelongings. Would that be true for all? No! They are people like us.They have their bad and their good.

So how do you deal with racism? This person, however hard I tried toconvince him/her of the contrary, had turned into a racist who willspread his/her very impassioned impressions to whoever will listen toit. Worse he/she will pass it on to their children. And there lies thetrue root of racism. Racism starts in the home. In the interest of worldpeace and survival: fight racism at its roots.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2005-2015 A political commitment by Governments to fight Roma povertyand discrimination. We're half-way through. Has it worked?

On the political majority side, if anything prejudice and viciouspersecutions in a down-economy have risen. What about the Roma side,Europe's largest minority? Gypsies are always a reflection of theirsurroundings. While still nomadic, they lived in perfect harmony withtheir surroundings, respecting life of humans and animals alike. Theirresponse to the wars raging around them, has always been avoidance. Butthey have been forcibly pulled off their ancient treks and pushed intocage-like settlements into the poorest, least law-abiding sections ofWestern society, where they have to survive surrounded by prejudice anddownright hatred. But Gypsies have had at their core family tiesstronger than of those who surround them. These families close in on tothemselves when they feel threatened, a tool of survival, yet by nowresulting in a weakness of the Gypsy population as a whole. The Romapopulation has been and still is divided into tribes and family units.As a result they do not, nor ever have had, a unified political voice.This and their peaceful nature makes them very vulnerable and defenseless.

The big question is, why an intelligent, talented people with strongfamily ties and loyalties, who are not known to turn to violentreprisals, fanaticism or radicalism like so many other ethnic groups,why are they so maligned and hated.

The answer is simple: Those around them do not know nor understand them.They see them only through the eyes of prejudice and misconceptions. Thebig task is for both sides to learn more about each other, have theseparate communities get into real contact.

My personal feeling is that, so far, the economic downturn and theefforts made by several human rights organizations have so far merelyraised awareness of the existing and enduring problems. To my mind thatis a step in the right direction. The next step has to be finding a wayto solve these problems, through education, training of job skills,acceptance and respect. For the Roma the prize cannot be a loss of theirculture. Theirs is a peaceful culture, we can learn from them in thatrespect. The petty criminality they are accused of is a function ofpoverty, no different than existed among Europe's poor before theirnations turned wealthier, offering an escape from poverty. Now only Romaseem to have to live under third world conditions, that is what now hasto change.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

"Hungary's Jobbik party, the shrillest among Central and EasternEurope's far right parties, has been exposed as having received secretfinancial support from Russia as quid pro quo for its anti-EuropeanUnion and anti-Nazi bluster.

The issue of 'rolling Russian gold roubles', and alleged 'Iranian cashgifts' helping sustain a virulently anti-Roma and anti-semitic partythat flaunts its hostility to Western liberal democracy is troublingHungarian public opinion.

The proto-fascist party's xenophobia and strong-arm actions against whatit calls 'the criminal Roma' have secured it a measure of popularity –and, because of its anti-Western stance, Russia's interest is notsurprising."

All I can say, as one who grew up in the midst of racial strife, to theHungarian people: Watch out. Racial strife kills on both sides of theaisle. Remember the American Civil war! Remember Germany. They killedall those people, but there was nothing left of Germany in the end.They were lucky the American offered them a helping hand, else…………nobodyknows what would have happened to a Germany in rubble.

Friday, June 11, 2010

I always believed she was an Albanian Gypsy, but a Roma friend told meshe was a Macedonian Gypsy living among Albanians. One thing I am sureof, Mother Teresa, never asked the question – who are you, where are youfrom, what ethnic group do you belong to? She worked among the poorestof the poor, hers was the heart of true humanity. A guiding light in adestructive world, nobody deserves more than Mother Teresa to have theEmpire State building lit in honor of her 100th birthday.

In fact her type of religiosity and goodness of the heart I have foundamong other religious Gypsies. I have been religious without being achurchgoer since my childhood days in a war zone. I once told a Romapastor, a church is only as good as its pastor. I have come across onlya few religious leaders who actually stuck their neck out to help thepersecuted. I rarely felt God in the European churches I grew up with. Idid feel his presence, a true gift, in a Roma church in Florida, which Ifrequent as often as I can. There too, the pastor, his wife and hiscongregation, even in these tough economic times, try to reach out towhoever is poor and near.

We are all of the same human race that from time to time produces a truestar. Mother Teresa is such a star. She would have wanted us to sticktogether, and work toward a better world.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

It was a misnomer from the beginning. When a group of travelers arrivedinto medieval Europe in the fourteen hundreds, they were believed tocome from Egypt, therefore they were called Egyptians/Gypsies. Thesecolorful travelers, entertainers, fortune-tellers, horse-people didnothing to dispel that misconception. Their country, ever since leavingIndia hundreds of years before, was the open road; they interacted withoutsiders merely to supply their families with the necessities of life.

At first these entertaining people were greeted with open arms, theybrought joy into the harsh life of sedentary folks who were divided intoa handful of rulers and a vast majority of the poor who had to servethese few rich and powerful. But it did not take long for thisunderclass of peasants and servants to become envious of the freedom andindependence of these often dark-skinned nomadic strangers, who were andalways had been people of peace. The sedentary folks started taking upwhatever arms were at hand – after all wars were part of their lives –and went to hunt down these nomads who abhorred violence and killings.They killed many outright, in brutal medieval fashion, many were cagedlike animals of the wild. The persecution of the Gypsies, their realname is Roma, has had its ups and downs, but has never truly stopped. Itis reaching another peak in Europe as I am writing this.

Many, not all, of the Gypsy people now want to be known as Roma only.That is their right, their choice. To them the word Gypsy has become aderogatory term, a curse. I cannot help but feel a certain sadness. Tome personally the word Gypsy has always meant warmth, loyalty, and loveof life. In my darkest moments there was always some Gypsy or other topat me on the shoulder, to sit down with me and talk. It is not theGypsy who has sullied that word, it is us. For, be honest, who among youhas ever experienced harm done by a Gypsy, a Roma? Most of you know themonly through hearsay and prejudice. In reality they are part of andcontributors to our culture. I would feel mournful at having to bury theGypsy word. But nomads have always buried their loved ones and tragediesand walked into the future. We have much to learn from them.